Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellen to star in new gay sitcom

British acting legends Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi will star as a gay couple in a new sitcom.

It will feature both actors, who made their name in Shakespearean theatre, as an elderly gay couple living in London’s Covent Garden.

The Star On Sunday reports the British sitcom, tentatively titled Vicious Old Queens, will air on ITV next year.

In an interview with the tabloid, a source said: ‘No one can quite believe ITV have managed to get Sir Ian on board. Brit stars don’t get much bigger than him. It’s a great coup for ITV to get these two.’

Both openly gay, McKellen and Jacobi have been LGBT rights advocates for years.

Speaking to North London students as part of Stonewall’s anti-homophobia in schools campaign recently, McKellen said he felt being gay had made him a better actor.

‘I think that’s why so many great British actors are gay – we spent so long pretending to be straight, to be someone else, that eventually we became very good it,’ he said.

The six episode series will be written by Gary Janetti, a former executive producer and writer of American comedies Family Guy and Will & Grace.